Eden+Prairie+Schools+2

= ﻿ Staring Lake Study=

PROJECT DETAILS
//Title: Staring Lake Study// //Collaborators: Mary Schulz, Allison Knoph// //School and District: Oak Point Intermediate, Eden Prairie// //Content Providers: Minnesota DNR// //Grade level: 5// //Subject Areas: Science, Language Arts, Math// //Recommended Time Frame: Year long (September - May)//

MN State Standards Alignment
Language Arts
 * I. Reading and Literature
 * C. Comprehension
 * The Student will understand the meaning of texts using a variety of strategies and will demonstrate literal, interpretive, inferential, and evaluative comprehension.
 * II. Writing
 * A. Types of Writing
 * The Student will compose various pieces of writing.

Science
 * I. The Nature of Science and Engineering
 * The Practice of Science
 * Science is a way of knowing about the natural world, is done by individuals and groups, and is characterized by empirical criteria, logical argument and skeptical review.
 * Scientific inquiry requires identification of assumptions, use of critical and logical thinking, and consideration of alternative explanations
 * Interactions among science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and society
 * Tools and mathematics help scientists and engineers see more, measure more accurately and do things that they could not otherwise accomplish.


 * Human interactions with living systems
 * Humans change environments in ways that can be either beneficial or harmful to themselves and other organisms.

Math
 * I. Data Analysis
 * Display and Interpret Data; determine mean, median and range.

BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND
Students will study our community lake for the entire school year. They will participate in an environmental lake study focusing on observation, data collection and analysis. Students will use their findings to determine what, if any, impact they have on the watershed overall.

Key Skills:
 * 1) Students will understand the value of accurately collecting and documenting data through observation and the use of scientific tools.
 * 2) Students will apply and use digital tools to accurately collect, evaluate and use data about the lake.
 * 3) Students will use digital media to communicate work collaboratively to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.

Habits of the Mind:
 * 1) Persistance - students will collect evidence to indicate their problem-solving strategy is working
 * 2) Thinking Flexibility - students will change their minds as they gather data
 * 3) Metacognition / Thinking about Thinking - After developing a plan of action and collecting data, students will reflect and make adjustments to their plan of action
 * 4) Striving for Excellence - Students will check over their work, focusing on precision, accuracy and reworking
 * 5) Gathering Data through all Senses - Observing the evironment using all senses
 * 6) Thinking Interdependently - By working in groups, students will learn to collaborate, justify their ideas and test solutions.
 * 7) Thinking and Communication with clarity - By collaborating with students from far away, students will have to be clear about what they are learning and how their findings relate to the remote sites we communicate with.
 * 8) Remaining open to continuous learning - As the students communicate with DNR and other professional resources, they will have to adjust their conclusions and possibly address new questions that arise during the course of the project.

District and School-Wide Outcomes:
 * 1) NUA Strategies
 * 2) Technology Integration

CRAFT THE DRIVING QUESTION
//Driving Question: How does human activity in your neighborhood impact the water quality of the watershed in which you live?//

Guiding Questions: What factors influence the quality of water in Staring Lake? How does human activity factor in?

PLAN THE ASSESSMENT
//Products and Artifacts://

Early and Often in the project:


 * 1) Science Journal - Rubric:Checklist for organization, Observation Guide, Other areas to observe, Reflection
 * 2) Google Docs showing Data Collection
 * 3) Picasa Photo-sharing

End of the project:
 * 1) Presentation - Rubric: Science Vocabulary, Attractiveness, Photographs, Graphs/Tables, and Completeness
 * 2) Tools Assessment - Rubric: Binoculars, One Square Foot, Temperature Probes,Proscope
 * 3) Final Test
 * 4) Environmental Pond Study Assessment - Rubric: Observations, Science Journal, Data Interpretation and Graphing, Technology Tools, Science Tools, Participation / Engagement and Teamwork

MAP THE PROJECT
//How will the project be organized?//

Major Product for the Project: Lake Study Journal

Tasks Necessary to Produce a High-Quality Product:

MANAGE THE PROCESS
We are going to be using Moodle to manage this project.

media type="file" key="Staring_Lake_Study_Moodle_Course.mp4" width="300" height="300"

We will have ESL students and LD students participating in this study so when the school year begins we will have to discuss with those teachers how best to service these students based on their individual needs (para assistance with data collection is the primary we need we forsee). This work is also done in a group of 3-5 students so there will be peer support/modeling. We will also have a chaperone there to assist.

=PROJECT RESOURCES=

Videoconference Lesson Plan
We are hoping to schedule a videoconference with the Cranbrook Institute of science in Michigan regarding watershed and lake study information. According to their description they will tailor their presentation to our specific lake and watershed area. We will provide more information once we have confirmed this contact.

We are also in contact with the DNR to cover similar information on a more frequent (3-4 times throughout the year) basis.

Media Files
We have videos linked to the Moodle course that we will use with a View, Talk, Write activity.

[|Why does this matter?] [|Something Fishy] [|Pelicans in the Gulf] [|What is clean water?] [|Not a drop to drink] [|It all comes down to hay] [|Kevin Costner's oil spill solution] [|The Whale]

Web Resources
Buck Institute for Education [|http;//www.bie.org]

Minnesota DNR - Staring Lake data [|DNR Lake Report]

Animal Tracks [|Animal Tracks]